Five activities that will help you lower anxiety symptoms

Anxiety can be debilitating and prevent you from a good start every day. You can do many things to make your day calmer and more productive.

I recommend implementing certain activities to my patients to lessen their daily anxiety.

Mindfulness. When practicing mindfulness, you pay attention to the present moment. Instead of resisting any emotion or thought, you embrace it and explore it. Have you heard the saying that what you resist persists?  One thing I recommend for my patients is breathing slowly and paying attention to the air they live in and out. Pay attention to how your abdominal muscles move up and down with each inspiration and expiration.  The trick is that you cannot think and pay attention to your breathing simultaneously, so there you have the first thing you can do when you get up.

Positive affirmations. Our mind is mighty, and our body obeys it. If you say, for example, I will be ok, I will feel better, I will have a good day, I am strong, I am loving, I will be calmer, you will start shifting to positive thoughts that will evoke positive emotions.  Start trying it, and you will see what I am talking about.

Exercise. Exercise can help us secrete endorphins (natural cannabis-like brain chemicals) that can enhance our sense of well-being. It is like natural antidepressants without side effects.

Meditation. Clearing our minds in the morning will not only help us start our day calmer but also will help us focus better. Even 15 minutes of meditation will positively affect our day if we do it daily.

Sleep. Have you noticed that when you have a good night’s sleep, you wake up calmer and more energized? Find how many hours you need to wake up feeling better. Not everyone needs 8 hours of sleep, so once you find the exact number, make it a goal and priority. Your day will start smoothly, be more productive, and, most importantly, be less anxious.